Wind-guard for velocipede-boats



(No Model.)

J. THOMPSON.

WIND GUARD FOR VELOGIPEDE BOATS. No. 314,491. Patented Mar. 24, 1885.,

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrca,

WIND-GUARD FOR VELOClPEDE-BOATS.

JE'ECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314.491, dated March 24, 1885.

Application filed December 22. 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, J AMES THoMPsoN, clerk in the bonded-warehouse division of the custom-house of the city of Boston, in the county of Suffolk. of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and a resident of said Boston, have invented. a new and useful Improvement in WVind-Guards for VelocipcdeBoats; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a perspective elevation, Fig. 2 a transverse section, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of a boat provided with myinvention, the nature of which is defined in the claim hereinafter presented.

My said invention has reference to the class of boats or floating velocipedes a particular example of which is represented in the United States Patent No. 109,083, granted November 8, 1870, to Carl 0. Wederkinch and Archibald Stark weather, it being provided with two parallel floats fastened together, a paddle-wheel between them to be operated by iootcranks, and a seat for the operator to sit upon while straddling such wheel with his legs, and the feet thereofresting on the wrists ofsuch cranks.

l have a back wardly diverging wind or weather guard, which, like the dasher and boot of a pleasurecarriage, serves to protect from wind or rain the legs and much of the body of an operative when sitting on the seat, and straddling the wheel-shrouding, and hav ing his feet on the wrists of the cranks. This wind or weather guard I generally make in the form, externally, of a swan with its wings partially extended and as it appears above water while floating therein, all being sub stantially as represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- AA are the two floats, twin hulls, pontons, or boats; B and B, the bows or arched handles connecting them at the pointed sterns and prows; O, the platform going from deck to deck and in advance of the paddle-wheel D, and its shrouding or cover E, and the seat F on the latter.

G is the hollow swan or wind or weather guard, within which are arranged on sheaves or in suitable guides the levers or ropes H. for operating the rudder I, properly disposed between the floats and in rear of the paddle- Wheel.

The drawings represent a person sitting upon the seat and straddling the paddle box or shrouding, and having his feet on the wrists of the two cranks a a of the shaft 7) of the wheel.

By having the pointed prows as well as the pointed sterns of the two boats connected by a bow or arched handle it serves not only as a means of manipulating the velocipede, but as a guard to prevent either prow or stern from striking or being moved against a person or object to the injury of such or the velocipede. So, by having the boats further connected as describedviz., a platform extending from one to the other at their decksthe velocipede is further strengthened,- besides being rendered useful in supporting passen gers or freight. The wind or weather guard is a valuable addition about the wheel fender or shrouding.

I am aware that a velocipede-boat has been devised consisting of two floats braced together, and provided with a housing for the operator. In my device the braces act as guards, as described, and the windguard, being narrower in front and diverging backward, allows the same to cut the atmosphere.

\Vhat I claim is-- A velocipede boat having the operative mechanism for propelling it, as described, in combination with a wind-guard arranged in front of such mechanism, such guard being narrower in front and diverging backward, as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT. 

